The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1863

Allan Kardec

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False brothers, inept friends

As demonstrated in the preceding article nothing could prevail against the providential destiny of Spiritism. In the same way nobody can stop something from falling that must fall according to the divine laws – persons, peoples or things – nothing can block the progress of something that must advance.

As for Spiritism such a truth sticks out from the facts that have occurred and much more still from another capital point. If Spiritism were a simple theory, a system, it could have been fought by another system but it is founded in a law of nature like the movement of Earth. The existence of the Spirits is inherent to the human race. One cannot preclude it from existing or impede their manifestation in the same way that one cannot impede mankind from progressing. They do not need to ask for permission and laugh at any prohibition. One cannot lose sight of the fact that, beyond the mediumistic manifestations that we observe, there are other natural and spontaneous manifestations that have occurred at all times and that occur daily with lots of people who have never heard about Spirits.

Thus, who could oppose the development of a law of nature? Since it is God’s law, fighting against that law is the same as fighting against God. These considerations explain the uselessness of the attacks against Spiritism. What the Spiritists must do when facing such aggressions is to peacefully continue their work, without presumption, calm and confidently, given the certainty in achieving the objective.

If nothing can bar the general progress, however, there are circumstances that can determine partial obstructions like a small dam that can slow down the course of a river but without impeding its motion. Among such circumstances there are the inconsiderate actions of followers who are more zealous than prudent and that do not evaluate well the consequences of their actions and words. Hence they produce an unfavorable impression upon the non-initiated in matters of Spiritist Doctrine, much more adequate to keep those persons away than the diatribes of the adversaries.

Spiritism is wide spread, no doubt, but it would be even more had all followers always listened to the advices of prudence and kept a wise reservation. One must certainly take their intention into account but it is not less certain that more than one justified the proverb: “Better to have a declared enemy than a clumsy friend.” Their worst contribution is to offer ammunition to the adversaries who know well how to explore faults. It would never be too much to recommend to the Spiritist that they should reflect with maturity before acting. In such cases prudence recommend that one’s personal opinion is not enough. Nowadays where there are groups forming everywhere there is nothing simpler than getting together before acting. The true Spiritist sacrifices self-love for the good of the cause. Believing in one’s infallibility, rejecting the advice of the majority and persisting on a path that reveals itself to be bad and compromising is not the attitude of a true Spiritist. It would be demonstration of pride, if not obsession.

Not a single Spiritist ignores the fact that the Spirits are far from knowing the supreme science for many among them know less and some pretend to know everything. They have their personal opinion about everything and it can be right or wrong. Still, like people, those who have most misguided ideas are the individuals that are the most uniformed. These misguided Spirits talk about everything, create systems, utopias or dictate the most eccentric things and feel pleased when they find complacent interpreters and believers that accept their misinformation.

Such publications have very serious inconveniences because the medium is frequently deceived and seduced by an fake name, taking things as very serious, giving rise to criticism utilized to stain Spiritism whereas, without presumption, it would be sufficient to seek advice from and be enlightened by colleagues. It is very rare that in this case the medium will not yield to the injunctions of a Spirit that, like with certain people, wants to be published at any price. With more experience, the medium would know that the truly superior Spirits give advice but do not impose themselves, flatter people, or make any commanding prescription.

When Spiritism is completely settled then known publications of such a nature will present no more inconveniences than the bad treats of science today. But at the beginning – we repeat – they have a very harmful side. Thus, as far as publications are concerned, every circumspection is not enough and it would be difficult to estimate the effect they would eventually have on the reader.

To summarize, it is a serious mistake to believe that one is obliged to publish everything the Spirits say as if they are all enlightened Spirits. There are also bad and ignorant ones. It is necessary to make a strict selection of their communications and put away everything that is useless, insignificant, false or of such a nature that may produce bad impression. It is certainly necessary to sow but sow a good seed and in the right season.

Let us move on to an even more serious matter, the false brothers. The adversaries of Spiritism, at least some of them because there are some who are in good-faith, are not absolutely scrupulous with respect to the means employed. To them, anything goes in war and if they cannot take the village over they undermine their foundations. In the absence of good reasons and fair weapons we daily see them spreading lies and denigrating Spiritism. To denigrate is hateful, they know that well, and lies may be contradicted. Therefore they look for facts that can justify them. However, how can they find compromising facts among serious people other than the facts produced by themselves or by their partners? The danger is not in the open attacks or in persecution and not even in smear campaigns, as we saw. It is in the hidden ploys used to discredit and ruin Spiritism. Will they succeed? That is what we are going to examine.

We have already drawn the readers’ attention to such maneuver in the report of our journey in 1862; during the trip we received three kisses of Jude, although we had not manifested it. In fact, we had been forewarned about that before departure and about the traps that would be set up. We kept an eye on that certain that one day they would show their nails because it is as much difficult to a false Spiritist to always imitate a good one as it is to a bad Spirit to simulate a superior one. Neither can sustain their role for long.

We are referred to men and women from several places coming from suspicious antecedents and liaisons and whose apparent enthusiasm towards Spiritism just inspire mediocre confidence; it would be no surprise to find the three mentioned above among them; they do exist in the lower and upper ranks of society. It is sometimes more than enthusiasm on their part: it is fanatic admiration. They believe that their devotion goes to the sacrifice of their own interest and despite that they do not attract sympathy; there seems to be an unhealthy ambience around them; their presence casts a mantle of ice upon the meetings. One must add that their bread winning activities are problematic, particularly in the country side where everybody knows everybody.

What characterizes in particular such would-be followers is their tendency in making Spiritism veer off the path of prudence and moderation given their eagerness for the triumph of truth; the stimulus to eccentric publications; the ecstasy of admiration before the most ridicule apocryphal communications that they take care of spreading; the provocation of compromising subjects in the meetings about politics and religion, always concerned with the victory of truth that cannot remain under the bowl.

Their kudos to people and things are insensible: they are the braggarts of Spiritism. Others are sweeter and hypocritical. With a gaze and mellow words, they blow disagreement while preaching union. Skillfully bring up irritating subjects that are prone to generate dissidence. Excite in the several groups envy of domination and rejoice when see them throwing stones at one another, favoring a few differences of opinion about issues that are generally provoked, of formal or trivial matter, raising flag against flag.

Some, as they say, make huge acquisitions of Spiritist books hardly noticed by the booksellers, making intense propaganda. But their choice of followers is serendipitously unfortunate. They are fatally prone to seek exalted people, of strong point of views, or others who have already given signs of aberration. Then, where a case is blown, they deplore it and scream all over the place to be found that they were dealing with Spiritism from which they had not learned a single word. To the Spiritist books, that these eager apostles distribute generously, they frequently add not criticism but other books of wizardry, sorcery, or unorthodox political texts. This enables them to use this information so that when there is a case, eventual or not, everything can be confused during verification.

Since it is more convenient to be in control of things to have more manageable partners, something that is not easy to obtain, some organize or have parties organized where they preferably deal precisely with what Spiritism advises against and where there is special attention in attracting strangers that are not friends. The sacred and profane are intimately confused in such gatherings; the most venerable names are mixed up with the most ridicule practices of black magic, followed by cabalistic terms and signs, talismans, cryptic tripods and other accessories. Some add, as a complement and sometimes seeking profit, fortune telling, chiromancy, tasseography, paid somnambulism, etc. Complacent Spirits that meet not less complacent people there, foresee the future, find hidden treasures and uncles in America, and if necessary indicate the trend of the stock market and give winning lottery numbers. Later on, on a beautiful day, justice is made or we read in the papers the description of a Spiritist session attended by the author who tells his recollection of the events, witnessed in person.

Will you try to bring all those people healthy ideas? I would understandably believe this to be a waste of time: They are not interested in reason and the serious side of the Doctrine; that is what bothers them the most. They are pleased to hear that they harm the cause and that give weapons to the enemies. Their objective is to discredit the Doctrine while supposedly defending it. They are instruments that are not afraid of compromising others sending them to the rigors of the law, not even of compromising themselves since they know how to find compensation.

Their role is not always the same: it varies according to their social position, their aptitudes, their relationships and their driving motive but the objective is always the same. Not everyone employs such gross means but theirs is not less treacherous. Read certain publications that are said to be sympathetic to the idea and even apparently defending it; examine all thoughts and see if sometimes besides an approval put forward as a cover up or out of etiquette you will not find an insidious thought, a sneaked argument of double meaning as if issued by change, or an event reported with double meaning and that can be interpreted unfavorably. Some are less concealed and under the mantle of Spiritism try to divide the followers. We will certainly be asked if all the depravities that we have just mentioned are invariably hidden maneuvers or a comedy of interests and if they would not be a spontaneous movement; in short if all Spiritists are people of common sense and incapable of deceiving.

Pretending that all Spiritists are infallible would be as much absurd as the pretension of our adversaries of being the exclusive owners of reason. However, if some are mistaken, it is due to their confusion with respect to the meaning and objective of the Doctrine. In this case, their opinion should not have the weight of law as it is illogical or unfair, according to the intention, to take an individual idea by the general idea and exploit the exception. It would be the same as taking the aberration of some scholars by the general rule of science. We tell them: if you want to know on which side the presumption truly is, you must study the principles that are admitted by the immense majority if not absolute unanimity of the Spiritists of the whole world. Thus the believers of good-faith may make mistakes and we do not judge them if they do not share our ideas. If among the mistakes mentioned above some were just of personal opinion, we would only see isolated, regrettable deviations in that but it would be unfair to claim responsibility of a Doctrine that clearly denies them. But if we say what they result from interested maneuvers the fact is that our picture is made of models. Since this is the only thing really that Spiritism has to fear at the moment we invite every sincere follower to be on guard, avoiding the traps that could be set up on their way.

For that it would never be too much to have circumspection in the choice of elements to be introduced in our meetings as well as the careful denial of any suggestion that would tend to stain the essentially moral character of the Doctrine.

By keeping the order, dignity and righteousness that is proper to serious persons occupied with a serious thing they shall block the access to ill-intended people who shall leave once they acknowledge that they have nothing to do there.

For the same reason they must decline solidarity to any meeting formed outside of the conditions prescribed by a healthy reason and by the true principles of the Doctrine if they cannot lead to the good path.

As seen, there is certainly a great difference between false brothers and inept friends but the result may be unsuspectedly the same: discredit the Doctrine. The nuance that separates them is frequently in the intention something that sometimes would lead to confusion and by watching them serving the interests of the opposing party suppose that they were conquered by them. Circumspection is then and particularly at this time more needed than ever for we must not forget that words, actions and inconsiderate writings are exploited and that the adversaries rejoice when they can say that those things come from the Spirits.

In such a state of affairs it is understandable that they give rise to speculation given the abuse they can generate and may also offer support to the detractors in their accusations of charlatanism. Hence in certain cases it may be a trap that one must suspect. Since there is no philanthropic charlatanism abnegation and absolute selflessness of the mediums subtract the adversaries from one of their most powerful means of denigration, cutting right at the bone any discussion about the subject.

It would be no doubt a serious mistake to take the mistrust to excesses but in times of war and when the tactics of the enemy is known prudence becomes a necessity that exclude neither moderation nor the observation of conveniences from which we must never depart. On another hand we must not make a mistake regarding the character of a true Spiritist whose honesty of attitudes defy any suspicion particularly when reinforced by the practice of the principles of the Doctrine. Even when a flag is raised against flag, as our antagonists do, the future of each one depends on the sum of consolations and moral satisfaction they that people find in them. A system must not supersede the other unless it is more logical, something that only public opinion may judge. At any rate, violence, injuries and acrimony are bad antecedents and constitute an even worse recommendation.

We still need to examine the consequences of such a state of affairs. Those maneuvers can no doubt lead to momentary and partial disturbances and that is the reason why one must put them off as much as possible but they could not endanger the future first because they shall be around for a limited time since they are maneuvers of the opposition that shall fall by the force of things; second because whatever people say or do they will never subtract the distinctive character of the Doctrine, its rational philosophy and its reassuring moral. No matter how much they distort and stain the Doctrine, make the spirits speak at their own will, or collect apocryphal communications to give rise to contradictions, they shall not have an isolated teaching prevailing against the one that is given all over the place.

Spiritism is distinct from all other philosophies for not being a philosophical conception of a single person but a teaching that everyone can receive in all corners of the world and such is the consecration received by The Spirits’ Book. Written without conceivable mistakes and at the reach of all minds that book will always be the clear and accurate expression of the Doctrine that will be transmitted unbroken to those who will come after us.

The rage provoked by the Doctrine is an indication of the role it must play and also of the difficulty in opposing anything serious to that. The rapid success of the Doctrine was driven by the consolations and hopes it brings about. Any system that tried to destroy that source of consolation by the very denial of its fundamental principles could not be welcomed with indulgence.

We must not lose sight of the fact that we live a time of transition, as we have already said, and no transition happens without conflict. One must not be surprised by the agitation of passions at play, the compromised ambitions, and the frustrated wishes; they try to retain what is escaping them by their attachment to the past. It all disappears gradually. The fever is quenched. Peoplee pass and the new ideas stay.

Spiritists, rise up through your thoughts! Look up twenty years ahead and the present will no longer bother you.



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